JOHNNY GIMBLE IS AMERICAN MUSIC

Haggard, Willie & More Help Him Celebrate Feb. 16

(LOS ANGELES) American musicianship has no purer embodiment than fiddle master Johnny Gimble. Few artists or players can boast a career that stretches from the pre-war radio show days, through the development of the recorded music industry, on to the heyday of network television and into a new century while remaining musically relevant. Fewer can say they were at the epicenter of a uniquely American art form: the convergence of country and jazz known as Western swing.

So when Gimble, CMH Records and producer Ray Benson (Asleep At The Wheel) enlisted Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Garrison Keillor and many more for a new album project, the title was obvious: Celebrating with Friends. More than just friends, it was also a family affair for Gimble and, upon its Feb. 16 release, will prove to be a delightful listening... [read more...]

ROCKABYE BABY! SALUTES BEATLES "ED SULLIVAN SHOW" ANNIVERSARY

Albums of Beatles Songs Done as Soft Lullabies Bring Iconic Band's Music to Today's Babies

(Los Angeles) It may have been 46 years since that pivotal night on February 9, 1964 when The Beatles debuted in America on "The Ed Sullivan Show," but the music of The Fab Four continues to win new generations of fans. Parents and grandparents who love the band's timeless songs can share their favorite music with their little cradle rockers thanks to More Lullaby Renditions of The Beatles from the innovative label Rockabye Baby.

Rockabye Baby transforms the guitars, bass and drums of John, Paul, George and Ringo into the soothing sounds of glockenspiel, vibraphone, Mellotron, harps and bells, creating instrumentals gentle enough for tiny ears. The CD whisks babies "Across the Universe" with contented smiles on their sleeping... [read more...]

JEFF DUNHAM'S COMEDY PHENOMENON CONTINUES TO SPREAD WORLDWIDE

By Selling Out Arenas Around the Globe, Topping DVD Sales Charts & Breaking International Rating Records

(Los Angeles) While Time has hailed him as "perhaps the most popular comedian in the U.S." and Slate called him "America's favorite comedian," Jeff Dunham has transcended his national praise to become an international sensation who packs top venues on tour, enjoys top DVD chart action, record TV viewers, hot-selling ringtones and more in a number of markets around the globe. As The New York Times Magazine notes in a recent feature story on Dunham, a video clip with his character Achmed the Dead Terrorist "has been viewed almost 100 million times and has made Dunham a star overseas," emphasizing how the online fortune has fostered fertile ground for his international expansion.

His three DVDs — "Spark... [read more...]

WILLIE NELSON COMES FULL CIRCLE WITH APRIL 20 RELEASE

T Bone Burnett-Produced Album Completes Three Decade Journey

Burlington, MA – The title is deceptively simple: Country Music. The concept, likewise, seems quite familiar: An American musical icon dipping into the country music songbook to record fresh versions of timeless classics. 

Of course, the fact that Nelson set the standard for this type of collection more than 30 years ago might give pause. As might the realization that, in all the intervening years, he’s never quite taken the approach with the music that is the bedrock upon which he built his career. And then there's this, straight from the man himself: "This is my definition of real country music."

In 1978, Willie Nelson released a collection of re-imagined pop standards by composers including Carmichael, Berlin, Ellington and... [read more...]

Fiddle Legend Johnny Gimble Goes Solo 

With CMH Records’ Johnny Gimble: Celebrating with Friends

Ray Benson-Produced Project Features Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Garrison Keillor, Merle Haggard and more.

Los Angeles – With a career that spans close to seven decades of recordings and performances with some of the true giants of music, Johnny Gimble and his fiddle have long since become an indelible part of the American musical fabric. From Bob Wills to Merle Haggard to Willie Nelson to Vince Gill, all the way to Carrie Underwood, Gimble has spent his amazing career injecting the virtuosic sounds of his pure-Texas fiddle and the unflappable power of his personality into the hit recordings of the biggest artists in the business. 

Now it’s his turn. With the February 16 release of CMH Records’ Johnny Gimble: Celebrating with Friends, the venerable sideman takes center stage,... [read more...]